Digital Sovereignty: The Path to Owning and Controlling Online Identities
Summary:
The article discusses the state and importance of digital sovereignty - owning and controlling one's online identity and data. It highlights recent data breaches and the rising number of cyber-attacks, stressing the need for individuals and organizations to take more responsibility in data protection. The write-up debates the concept of decentralization and blockchain as solutions, but emphasizes that full-scale adoption is challenging. It concludes by highlighting the route to digital sovereignty - the right to use personal data, the intrinsic value and independence of data, as well as the control over access and use of one's data while maintaining privacy.
As citizens continue to navigate the digital landscape, it has become increasingly apparent that control over our online identities has been compromised. The increasing prevalence of online interaction has highlighted the importance of understanding potential threats tied to our data. Our digital footprint, from browsing history to confidential information, is constantly being extrapolated and distributed without us knowing. The cost of such practices is becoming apparent, as demonstrated by MGM's recent data breach that accounted for a staggering $100 million loss and impacted countless users. A revelation by the bankruptcy service provider Kroll showed that sensitive data of FTX, Genesis and BlockFi customers was leaked due to a cybersecurity hack. 74% of such exploits can be credited to social engineering, whilst Verizon discovered a significant spike in ransomware attacks in the recent years compared to the previous five. Is complete reconstruction of our current systems or a total shift to decentralized platforms the only way to enhance citizens' control over their digital existence? While blockchain technology certainly provides a beacon of hope, there are other, simpler routes towards digital autonomy that can be more digestible for mainstream users.
Control over one's online existence and using self-controlled tools to manage who can access personal data defines sovereignty. One doesn't require external validation or authentication under sovereignty as the approval authority lies within oneself. Whether through a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) or a blockchain, sovereignty prevails if user control over online data visibility exists. Sovereignty is non-rival in nature; one can grant or revoke data access rights at any time. While decentralization is about maintaining control, the focus is on the dispersion of power, rather than accumulation at a single point like conventional financial institutions or large-scale businesses. The decentralization model is built to improve fault tolerance by democratizing control. Prominent techniques like shared ledgers and Bitcoin consensus model play a vital role in achieving decentralization, nonetheless, persuading mainstream tech giants to adopt these decentralized systems seems implausible due to the lack of motivation as the current financial gains and freedom from governmental restrictions from owning centralized platforms seem more lucrative.
Dual approaches – sovereign data and processsing – can render decentralization scalable. The Bitcoin version excels at managing a shared state without a central command, whereas the sovereign framework efficiently manages individual states that can be shared without compromising trust. Hence, sovereignty is easier to adopt since it can be implemented gradually. Adopting decentralization is challenging as it requires denouncing the existing digital world created around browsers and profiles, and accepting an alien, often perplexing, decentralized realm. In its current state, although emancipatory, decentralization is restrictive. Significant growth and regulatory refinement is needed before we can move into a completely decentralized world.
Despite this, decentralization is simply a means to achieving sovereignty. To truly gain digital sovereignty, we must insist on the right to use our own data, the innate value and independence of data irrespective of authentication, and the right to control access and use of our data by others while maintaining privacy options. These serve as the fundamental building blocks of a digital future where we can truly own our online identities. However, the transition to digital sovereignty requires significant societal changes and cannot happen overnight. If individuals and businesses adopt more sovereign tools to better protect their data, we can inch closer to a secure and equitable digital society.
This article was written by Arie Trouw, co-founder of XYO and founder of XY Labs and is part of the Cointelegraph Innovation Circle, a group of pioneers in the field of blockchain technology who are forging the path into the future through collaborative thinking. The opinions expressed herein may not necessarily coincide with those of Cointelegraph. More information on the Cointelegraph Innovation Circle and how you may qualify to join, is available upon request.
Published At
11/28/2023 1:00:00 PM
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